Taisabaki
Taisabaki (体捌き, " Body Management") is the fundamental skill developed by all those who attain mastery within the craft. It is considered a threshold that separates those who are mere practitioners of the martial arts from those who are the true masters. However, even among masters of the martial arts, the elements of Taisabaki are those that are crucial to learn but tremendously difficult to master. It is built upon the principles of Jiseiryū. Overview The basis of martial arts is self-control over the body and complete command of the body's behavior, movement, and overall actions. It can be considered a manipulation of form. Through the integration of mind, body and spirit we are capable of achieving a high degree of self-control. When we are aware of ourselves and of others who are in our daily life we become linked by a common bond of social interaction that binds society together in compassion and overlapping needs. But a sense that goes beyond this is to be aware of the universe outside of ourselves to perceive the flow of psychic currents and by this means gain the ability to interact with others and our environment. This is often translated by many, as phenomenon known as horripilation or instinct. When one places their hand on a hot surface, before the knowledge that the sensation is hot and that one should stop touching the object, the hand instinctively moves away from the hot surface. The body can act on its own, often in conflict with the mind, and this causes the instinctive behavior of the body. While many martial artists believe that the ability to operate solely on instinct is a positive skill, it is actually a crutch to practitioners; especially when confronted by a master. Even instinct is predictable. A master can quite easily strike in a way that uses their opponent's instinct against them. When engaged in a fight, one may move without being able to think, but despite the will to perform a specific act, the body still possesses the potential to act of its own accord depending on the circumstances. For instance, when one is afraid, their body tends to freeze. Even if they become conscious of the threat before them, and they know they should flee, the sheer terror they feel prevents them from doing so. This becomes an issue that cannot be resolved, thus limiting the overall performance of a practitioner, unless they learn to reign in their mind and body under a single will. By learning to tame their mind and body, it is possible to have them behave in accordance with a singular will and therefore act together as one, even in situations where they would behave of their own accord. When unison is reached between the mind body and soul, they reach a level that exceeds all other martial artists who do not possess the same ability; regardless of the difference that there may be in physical strength. Of course, their skill does not completely eclipse those who do not know the taisabaki, but their degree of control makes it seemingly impossible to catch them off-guard. It is for this reason that Taisabaki is considered a threshold for all martial arts specialists to eventually reach in the process of their training. Learning Stages Moving in Unison The basic foundation of Taisabaki is that energy can be put to many uses if you learn to tap it by making your will the source of all your power. It can speed up and strengthen your movements, cause your limbs to become nearly indestructible weapons that can shatter stone or defy the so-called laws of physics. Ki is a powerful weapon in its own right, the ultimate energy to which there are no physical boundaries. It's shaped by the mind and emotions, it expresses the will. The body is capable of attaining limitless heights in strength and speed once this control is reached, which is why Taisabaki is the underlying skill one must eventually achieve if they ever hope to pass through the threshold of a novice. The most simplest method one can hope to achieve this is to center one's spirit around a particular emotion or ideal. Just as teams of individuals, however different each member within said team might be, can synchronize themselves when given a common goal, allowing their teamwork to be peerless. In the same regard, the basic concept of Ki energy is that it's all around you. It shapes you, molds you, makes you a part of everything, it flows through you to everything around you. The air you breathe, the ground you step upon, the fluids in your body, the fire in your spirit...they're all the same thing, just different expressions. However ki is so much more then that. You think the world is made of Solids, Fluids and Gasses...but they're really all one and the same thing! You keep thinking there's a separation. Warriors draw on it every time they focus their battle aura. It's not just all around you--IT IS YOU! You are energy expressed in form. If you want to change the direction and flow of that energy, you simply change its expression. It's all a matter of will and mind. What makes a hand strong enough to shatter wood or stone? Kinetic force? No! It's believing that you can shatter them, that the energy within you is stronger than so-called inanimate matter. Will and Intelligence are what separate us from mere objects. The key isn't belief or understanding or some silly theory about how the Universe is made up; it's knowing what's there that counts. You've got to see for yourself, to let go of preconceptions and even your thought, to learn to react on an elemental level without doubt or hesitation. You already do that for a lot of things you take for granted because you do them so often they become second nature. In order to learn to do new things you have to expand your awareness, let go of your expectations and just do the thing that comes into your mind. Do them with your heart and soul as well as your head. By achieving this understanding eventually you reach what is known as "movement in unison" (斉唱運動, Seishō Undō). The most common ideal that all living beings carry is the will to survive. Because of this, one of the most common methods of training another in Taisabaki is to push them to the brink of death in a fight until each part of their body is unable to focus on any other feeling other than a need to survive. It is for this reason that those who grow up in a house and dojo are usually weaker then those who train in the open road as they lack the raw experience of those whose time spent on the road hardens them as street fighters. However, this isn't always a possibility, and as such, many disciples have lost their lives in the history of martial arts attempting to master its secrets. It has been possible for many martial artists to eventually achieve this level of control through years of meditation, though this is generally considered a far more time-consuming method. It is also possible for enormous killing intents, to actually force the basics of Taisabaki into an individual momentarily because the killer intent is so intense and potent, one experiences the very idea of their survival being threatened and thus all of their body is forced to cooperate in that brief moment. Beyond the degree of control one obtains when learning movement in unison, several attributes are gained by the individual when maintaining Taisabaki. The individual becomes far more receptive toward enemy movements. They become capable of reacting at speeds beyond what they normally would have been able to and even resist degrees of force that would have normally demolished them. But the skill of Taisabaki is not limited solely to defense and movement. It enhances the effectiveness and force behind one's offensive strikes. Ki is a powerful weapon in its own right, the ultimate energy to which there are no physical boundaries. It's shaped by the mind and emotions, it expresses the will. By learning to harness your ki in time you'll understand how to go beyond the supposed limits of time and space and do anything that your will can imagine. Category:Technique Category:Ranma/Full Metal Panic! Cross